Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Chennai Super Kings (CSK) tweeted an image of their captain MS Dhoni to mark 'World Lion Day' on August 10. The caption read, "Lion Day Entry", with the image showing the former India captain - clad in a white t-shirt, beige trousers, and carrying a backpack - walking inside a building wearing a face mask with camouflage prints. The caption also said "AnbuDen", which refers to CSK's home ground Chepauk - the den. In the photo, a little behind Dhoni, his daughter Ziva can be seen, wearing a white mask.
Dhoni's wife Sakshi, too, accompanied him to Chennai. He is set to head to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for the remainder of IPL 2021. The matches will be played from September 19 to October 15.
Within hours of being posted, the photo got over 20k likes, with many fans commenting on his entry into Chennai.
While one fan said, "Lion is Back to Den", another commented, "Look who arrived", with a video of Dhoni, Sakshi, and Ziva walking out of the Chennai airport.
Another fan shared a clip showing the trio walking out of the airport.
One fan also wondered if there was any update on "Chinna", referring to Suresh Raina. While Dhoni is called "Thala", meaning the leader, Raina is referred to as "Chinna Thala", or the younger brother of Thala.
With the IPL a little over a month away, many CSK cricketers, except their overseas players, have convened in Chennai where the team members will remain in quarantine as per BCCI guidelines.
They are also likely to follow similar restrictions in the UAE.
After a disappointing season last year, the Dhoni-led CSK had a great start to IPL 2021. The team was placed second on the points table with 5 wins from 7 matches when the tournament was suspended after several positive COVID-19 cases were reported across franchises.
Since the tournament was suspended in May, Dhoni has rarely been seen on social media. Recently, the 40-year-old was seen in a "dashing look" posing for the camera with a new funky hairstyle and beard.
Celebrity hairstylist Aalim Hakim shared Dhoni's new look on Instagram.
Dhoni announced his retirement from international cricket in August 2020.